I assume we all like composite parts for at least one of these reasons:
- They can save weight, thereby enhancing performance.
- They allow us to make custom shapes, dazzling and amazing onlookers.
- Clearcoated carbon fiber looks really nice.
Anyone most interested in the second and third reasons for using composites, please feel free to disregard the remainder of this thread.
If we're most interested in the first reason - weight savings - it makes a lot more sense if we know how much weight there is to save. Therefore, we ought to know how much the stock parts weigh. Hoods, doors, trunk and engine lids, that massive panel around the shift lever - how much can we really save by replacing them with composite parts? It seems that some sort of database might be helpful, and I guess I'm volunteering to put one together if people can supply some information as they come across it by whatever means: weighing things as repairs are being done, for example. (Sorry, I don't have time to completely disassemble my ride to weigh the parts, though I can come up with a few numbers over time). Or does such a database already exist, and I just haven't been able to find it by web search?